$207M KY Convention Center Reno Complete

The Kentucky International Convention Center is just days away from its grand reopening ceremony, capping a nearly two-year, $207 million renovation that has completely changed the face of the building.

While some markers of the old building remain, such as the general footprint and the terrazzo floor that features scenes from Kentucky and the Ohio River, the major feat of the new design was wrapping the box-like building in glass and cantilevering part of it above the street.

The finished center has 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 40,000-square-foot main ballroom, 52 meeting rooms, a 175-seat tiered conference theater and a kitchen that can accommodate as many as 15,000 meals per day. Vertical wood paneling is seen inside to divide the different spaces, a nod to Kentucky’s famous bourbon barrels.

The Center also now features to distinct main entrances, which were muddled and nondescript prior to the renovation, and the front entrance is equipped with a large, white canopy that can be illuminated in different colors.